Yardbarker
How Hector Bellerin changed the way I looked at footballers
How Hector Bellerin changed the way I looked at footballers by Yusuf. When I was younger my favourite footballer at Arsenal was Samir Nasri. Before he sold his soul for the riches of Manchester City, Nasri started at Arsenal, was one of the most exciting young players in the Premier League, and was even voted French Footballer of the Year. What I loved so much about Nasri was his relatability. Samir Nasri was a diminutive footballer who focused more on his agility and technical quality than his physicality. For a young thirteen year old this was a massive inspiration for me and I often tried to imitate his game as much as I could whenever I had the chance to play. I found the early 2000s Arsenal sides harder to relate to because of the size and power in their profiles, something as a young teenager wasn’t apparent (and still isn’t!) for myself. Nasri being openly Muslim was also a massive part of his lure, but really his style of play was what drew me to him. For me, and I’m sure the case for many, I think what a player does on the pitch is what captures us and plays the biggest role in who we decide are our favourite players.